Shame & Domestic Violence

When we talk about a man beating his wife (sometimes, but not often, the roles are reversed), we avoid the word "bullying" and use this grown-up term, "domestic violence."

It is bullying nonetheless. The larger, stronger man easily gets his way by threatening or hurting the smaller, more vulnerable woman. He may believe he is exercising his rights, that a wife is his property to do with as he likes.

Beyond Bullying examines the persecution of women through history, from the witch burnings, to the guillotined feminists of the French Revolution, to the stoning of wives by Islamic Extremists.

Using the principle of "displacement of shame," Dr. Fast explains why men in relationships tend to shift the blame for their own misfortune and bad decisions onto their female companions.